The Auction House Venue in the centre of Luton will be swinging on November 1st for what promises to be the best Ball in town when the Mary Seacole Housing Association hosts its annual fund raising event.

This year, with a Great Gatsby theme, guests will be greeted by 1920s Flapper Girls and although no one has to wear 1920s style clothing, all guests are being asked to ‘dress to impress’.

Leading local firm Pictons, which is one of the main sponsors of the event, will be represented by Deborah Saini, a personal Injury specialist solicitor at the firm and who was also recently appointed as a Trustee of the Mary Seacole Housing Association. Deborah says “If last year’s sensational event is anything to go by, guests will be in for an amazing night.

“We hope to raise much needed funds to help homeless young people in the town. The Association provides accommodation, support, training and resettlement. The wonderful staff and volunteers are dedicated to helping the young people who, for a variety of reasons, find themselves in a desperate situation without a place to live and without any means of support, whether financial or emotional.

“I am so honoured to have been invited to become a Trustee of this wonderful supportive organisation. In our four Pictons offices in Herts Beds and Bucks we support local charities and community projects wherever we can. A number of my colleagues have become Trustees of other local charities and organisations which means we can make an even greater contribution to the communities in which we are based.”

The Mary Seacole Association enables young people to develop the skills they need to move from a state of dependence to that of independence. Mary Seacole is a well established Charity Registered under the Friendly Society based in the centre of Luton. The organisation aims to support and accommodate young vulnerable homeless people between the ages of 16 and 35. The organisation employs a staff team of over 50, which includes full and part-time staff who provide 24 hour support to the young people. The service has an holistic approach, ranging from one to one individual support, group training, social activities with staff members, and multi professional meetings; with staff acting as advocates for the young people and the resilience they needed to overcome their challenges with the help of Mary Seacole Housing Association.

Mary Seacole herself was an extraordinary woman, who set up a hotel to help injured solders at the battlefield during the Crimean War in the 1850s. She overcame racial prejudice, sexism and poverty to help others and it is she who provides the inspiration for this important charity.

Audrey Lewis, Chief Executive of the Mary Seacole Housing Association says “Our November Ball is a wonderful event and I am delighted that we’ve already sold out – over 440 people have bought tickets and if we the space we could have sold even more. They will have a really great night out while supporting the work that we do. We so appreciate the support of our sponsors like Pictons, A-Plan and Active Luton without whom we would not be been able to host this sensational fund raising event.

“Mary Seacole Housing Association is constantly looking for new ways to maintain the organisation’s high standards, and raise funds to ensure the quality of support is continued; and also to ensure that those most vulnerable are able to access the services they require. Each year the organisation hosts a Fundraising Charity Ball which is our only fund raising event so it’s a really important night for us and we hope everyone will have a great time.”